Memphis Resident Sentenced on Tax Fraud Charges

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 12, 2011

Memphis, Tenn. – Andre Fields, of Memphis, Tennessee, has been sentenced to serve 52 months in prison, followed by 2 years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge S. Thomas Anderson, announced Edward L. Stanton III, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee. Fields was also ordered to pay restitution of $163,838.93 to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Fields pled guilty on March 1, 2011, to two counts of filing false claims against the United States.

According to an Information filed with the court, Fields filed two 2007 federal tax returns with the IRS for individuals whose identity he had stolen. Fields inserted fictitious information on the tax returns, claiming refunds he was not entitled to receive. One return claimed a refund of $4,716.00 and the other claimed a refund of $2,113.00. Both refunds were fraudulent. As part of Fields’ plea agreement, he agreed to pay restitution to the United States for the full amount of the tax loss of $163,838.93 resulting from the false claims charged in the Information as well as other uncharged false claims he was responsible for creating as part of his scheme.

Fields was also sentenced to 52 months in prison following an October 18, 2010 plea of guilty to two counts of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. The firearms case was consolidated with the false claims case for sentencing, and Judge Anderson ordered the two 52 month sentences to be served concurrent with one another

This investigation was conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney John D. Fabian represented the government.